


The Course of True Love (Gathers No Moss)

by Spacecadet72



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 11:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14669972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: Five years after their breakup, Phillip shows up just days before Anne's wedding to a well known actor, with a plan to stop the tabloids from running a negative story on her father. Will being around Phillip again after five years bring up old memories and old feelings?





	The Course of True Love (Gathers No Moss)

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally inspired by the song It Ain't Me by Kygo and Selena Gomez. But I hate unhappy endings, so it morphed into a Philadelphia Story AU. While PT and Charity are technically in the role of Mike and Liz, I am not doing the Mike/Tracy subplot, so don't worry about any PT/Anne messing up either ship. :D
> 
> You don't have to have seen The Philadelphia Story to understand this, but it is a fun movie, (even if some of it hasn't aged as well as the rest. :D)
> 
> Title comes from The Philadelphia Story
> 
> A big thank you to ivelostmyspectacles for beta'ing this! All mistakes are my own.

“Phillip. Phillip?”

Phillip opened his eyes, blinking against the bright light. He closed them again tightly, groaning slightly. He couldn’t remember how much he’d had to drink last night, or how late he’d been out, but his headache could help him guess.

“Phillip,” Anne said again, her voice soft, but impatient.

“Anne?” he asked, struggling to sit up. Once he had and he blinked a couple more times, he realized she had a box in one arm and the other hand on the handle of a suitcase.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his eyebrows pulling down in confusion. There was something very wrong here, but he was too hungover and not awake enough to figure it out.

Anne sighed and looked down. “I can’t do this anymore, Phil. You’re drunk all the time and you won’t get help. I can’t live like this anymore,” her voice wavered as she continued. “I can’t watch you destroy yourself anymore.”

Phillip felt like his brain was taking twice as long to process what she was saying. “Are you breaking up with me?”

They had been dating for over a year. He had bought a ring months ago, but then his estranged father had died. That had brought up all sorts of unpleasant memories along with his grief, and his drinking had spiraled out of control.

“No, Anne, it doesn’t have to be like this, I can change,” he said as he tried to get out of bed and tripped, catching himself with one hand on the mattress.

Anne shook her head and backed toward the bedroom door. “You can, and I hope you do, but It’s too late for us.”

Now standing, he took a step closer to her and she sighed again. “I’m so sorry, Phillip. I didn’t want it to end this way,” she said, her voice thick with tears. She shook her head, trying to gain her composure. “I have to go. WD is waiting for me outside.”

“Anne, no,” Phillip said, following her out of the bedroom as she walked quickly out of the apartment. He stumbled a few more times, and she was out the door before he could reach her. He placed one hand on the door, leaning his head down to rest against it, tears of his own falling down his cheeks.

* * *

 

_Five years later_

“I never realized that wedding planning would be so much work,” Anne muttered to Lettie as they walked behind Wendy, the wedding planner.

Lettie laughed. "Just be glad you and Adam decided on a small, private wedding."

Anne shuddered at the thought. Marrying a well-known actor had its downsides, but she was grateful both she and Adam had wanted the wedding to be a quiet affair. "I'm not sure I'd marry him otherwise," Anne said with a grin.

"Miss Wheeler."

Both Wendy, Lettie and Anne turned to see Mitch, one of Adam's security guards approaching them.

"Is something wrong?" Anne asked, concern rising. This wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to sneak onto Adam's property.

"There's someone at the front gate who says he knows you." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Everyone who she was close with had already been invited to the wedding, and her family was already at the house. "Who is it, Mitch?"

"He says his name is Phillip Carlyle."

She heard Lettie take in a sharp breath beside her, and Anne felt her stomach drop at the name. She hadn't seen Phillip since she'd broken up with him and left his apartment five years ago.

"Did he say what he wanted?" Anne asked, trying to sound like everything was under control.

Mitch shook his head. "He just said that he needed to speak with you and it was urgent. He had another couple with him, a Phin and Charity Barnum. Do you know them?"

"I've never heard of them, but I do know Mr. Carlyle." Anne sighed. She was not looking forward to this conversation. "Take me to him, Mitch."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lettie asked, resting a comforting hand on Anne's arm.

Anne shook her head. She had hoped that Phillip would get his life together after she had broken up with him, but she hadn't be very optimistic. If he was still drinking, she had no idea what state he would in and wanted as few people to witness this as possible. She followed Mitch down towards the front gate, her heart pounding as she wondered just what she was walking into. Was he drunk? If he was trying to get her back now that she had someone else, he'd certainly taken his time. The wedding was in five days, but they had been engaged for six months.

As they approached the gate, she could see Phillip leaning against his car as he talked with the couple that must be the Barnums. His hair was shorter than she remembered and he styled it more neatly than the bedhead look he had used when they were together. She had to admit he looked good. And more importantly, he looked sober. Although, you could never really know with him. He'd been good at hiding it, at least at first.

"Anne," Phillip said, standing up as he saw them coming. He held his hands up, as if in surrender. "I know you don't want to see me, especially now, but I have to talk to you."

Anne hesitated. He looked so earnest, so sincere, but Anne just wanted to get married to the man she loved and leave the past where it belonged. But she couldn't deny that she was also curious about what Phillip had to say. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

"Is there somewhere a little more private?" he asked, looking at the gate and at Mitch.

Anne sighed, but turned to Mitch. "It's alright. He'll be fine." He looked at her for a moment before pressing a button on a remote to open the gate.

"The side garden should be free. I'll give you some space, but I'm not leaving you alone with him." Anne nodded. She knew Phillip wouldn't hurt her, but was grateful for backup in case their conversation took a turn.

They walked in silence to the garden, and Anne couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at him, turning her head quickly whenever his eyes would turn in her direction.

What could he possibly have to say to her after so long? She just hoped he wasn’t here to try and get her back. Their relationship had been over for a long time and she had finally moved on. She didn’t need her ex--who she’d thought was going to propose before the drinking got really bad--showing up just days before her wedding.

She gave Mitch a nod and what she hoped was a reassuring smile once they reached the garden. Mitch gave Phillip a distrusting look before walking out of earshot.

Anne turned to Phillip, standing up straighter and drawing strength from within to face this conversation.

“What are you doing here, Phil?” she asked, the nickname falling easily off of her tongue.

“I’m here to write a story on your wedding,” he said, looking sheepish.

She laughed. “Since when are you a journalist?”

He shrugged. “I’ve done some freelance work here and there, but it’s a friend of mine who’s the journalist. The tabloid he works for has been wanting to do a story on Adam Stone’s wedding, but you both have been rather secretive about your whole relationship.”

“We thought we deserved some privacy,” she said with a scowl, folding her arms across her chest.

Phillip held up his hands. “I’m not saying you don’t, but since they can’t report on the wedding, they went digging.”

Anne felt her stomach drop again, bracing herself for what was coming.

“They found out about your father,” Phillip said, sounding like he wished he never had to say those words to her.

Anne took in a deep and shaky breath. Her father had been falsely accused of a robbery and been prosecuted on trumped up charges. That had been almost 20 years ago, when Anne was small, and her father had done the time and was now trying to put it behind him as best he could. But all the media would see was an imprisoned black man and that Anne came from an inferior background. As if they needed to dig any further to think that.

“When are they running the story?” she asked, trying to control her breathing. She could get past this. She and Adam could get past this together.

“They aren’t, as long as I get the story on your wedding for them.”

“You’ll be reporting on the wedding?” she asked, a note of hysteria in her voice. How had this become her life?

Phillip looked apologetic. “I know you don’t want me here, but trust me, better me than someone who just sees you as a story.”

Anne nodded, not wanting to admit that he was right. “And the Barnums?”

“Phin’s a writer and Charity is a photographer. They work for the paper, but I trust them completely.”

“How do you know so many tabloid journalists?” Anne said, crossing her arms tighter around herself.

Phillip let out a self deprecating laugh. “I told you, I did some freelance work. Phin’s a character, but he’s really a good guy and Charity is one of the best people I’ve ever met. They’ll do your story justice, and I’ll make sure the paper publishes only what was promised.”

Anne nodded again. Had it only been 20 minutes ago that she had been complaining about wedding planning with Lettie? “What will you need?”

“Access to the wedding, and as much of the prep stuff as you’re comfortable with.”

Anne hesitated, knowing Adam wouldn’t be happy, but she didn’t want to put her family under such scrutiny either. “I’ll need to talk to Adam to see what he’s comfortable with, but I think that shouldn’t be a problem,” she said, hesitating before she continued. “But this is completely business. Our past is in the past.”

Phillip nodded, looking serious. “Of course. Shake on it?” he asked, sticking out his hand.

Anne stared at his hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it. She told herself that any sparks she felt upon contact were just from pre-wedding nerves. That had to be it.


End file.
